91

10.18 account of these things, how the gods are not those who rejoice in sacrifices. But lest anyone suppose that he is falsely fabricating these things, he placed an oath at the beginning of his writing: "for he said, 'I call the gods to witness that I have neither added nor taken away anything from the meanings given in the oracles, except that I corrected an erroneous word, or changed something for greater clarity, or filled out a deficient meter.'" And through these things he also accuses the Pythian of ignorance. For not only did he correct the erroneous words and render the ambiguous ones clear, but he also healed the lameness of the verses, which the Pythian had uttered through his prophets. 10.19 And Diogenianus also refutes the falsehood of the oracle-giving gods; he speaks thus: "And that those called seers fail in most things, the whole life of men would be a witness, and these very men who profess the mantic art." And after a little: "But now I will add this much to what has been said, 10. that for the most part, the fact that those called seers sometimes speak the truth in their predictions would not be the work of knowledge, but of a chance cause. For we who have grasped the clear concepts assigned under each name have learned to call it a work of chance not when one never hits the mark, but when one does not do so always, nor for the most part, nor as from knowledge, even if one sometimes happens to be right." 10.21 And that Porphyry says that even the oracle-giving gods foretell what they foretell while being compelled by men, is easy for anyone who wishes to learn from that very writing of his, which he entitled *On the Philosophy from Oracles*; for he himself included the very utterances of the gods. 10.22 For he says that Hecate, when summoned by him, said: I have come, hearkening to your wise prayer, which the nature of mortals discovered by the counsels of the gods And again, blaming the one who had summoned her: for what need, she says, did you summon me, the goddess Hecate, with god-subduing constraints? And Apollo too cries out: Hear me, though unwilling, since you have bound me with constraint. And again: Release the lord at last; a mortal can no longer contain a god. 10.23 And through these things Porphyry has shown, and these very ones who have stolen the divine name have shown themselves, that the devices of men and their contrived constraints are more powerful than they. For they both draw them down from above and bind them below; and they are not strong enough to depart until the men release them. And it is possible to find countless other such things in this writer, refuting their weakness. 10.24 And how full of outrage their oracles are, anyone who encounters these things could easily learn. For once when a famine struck the Athenians, the Pythian gave an oracle that it would not cease before the Athenians slaughtered seven maidens and as many youths 10.25 for Minos. And the ambiguity of the oracles has caused destruction for many. For Aristomachus, not understanding the "narrow pass," left the strait and the triremes, and by attacking through the isthmus ended his life. But the oracle-giver ought not to have veiled the oracle in darkness, if indeed he knew what was to come; but he maliciously gave the prediction in ambiguous terms, 10.26 so that the falsehood might not be easily detected. This very thing also caused the disaster for Croesus; for he said, 'Croesus, by crossing the Halys, will destroy a great empire.' But which one, he did not make clear, either his own or that of his enemies, so that whether defeated or victorious he would not accuse the seer. And the Pythian did this after receiving gifts worth many talents from him. Therefore, it is one of two things: either he is an impostor or he is ungrateful; for either he boasts of knowing what he does not know, or, knowing, he willingly 10.27 wrongs those who are eager to serve him. [And he did something similar in the case of Julian when he was set on attacking the Assyrians; for he said, "Now we gods have all set out to carry off trophies of victory by the river Ther; of these I shall be leader, impetuous 10.28 Ares, stirrer of battle."] And he did something similar in the case of the Athenians. For when Xerxes campaigned against them with many myriads, the sacred envoys of the Athenians ran to him; but he of the oracles

91

10.18 τύνων λόγον, ὡς οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοὶ ταῖς θυσίαις οἱ χαίροντες. Ἵνα δὲ μή τις ὑπολάβῃ ταῦτα ψευδῶς αὐτὸν διαπλάττειν, ὅρκον προτέ θεικε τοῦ ξυγγράμματος· "Τοὺς θεοὺς" γὰρ ἔφη "διαμαρτύ ρομαι, ὡς οὐδὲν οὔτε προστέθεικα οὔτε ἀφεῖλον τῶν χρησθέντων νοημάτων εἰ μή τι λέξιν ἡμαρτημένην διώρθωσα ἢ πρὸς τὸ σαφέσ τερον μεταβέβληκα ἢ τὸ μέτρον ἐλλεῖπον ἀνεπλήρωσα." ∆ιὰ δὲ τούτων καὶ ἀμαθίαν τοῦ Πυθίου κατηγορεῖ. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὰς ἡμαρτημένας διώρθωσε λέξεις καὶ σαφεῖς τὰς ἀμφιβόλους ἀπέ φηνεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐπῶν τὴν χωλότητα ἰάσατο, ἣν ὁ Πύθιος διὰ τῶν ὑποφητῶν ἀπεφθέγξατο. 10.19 Καὶ ∆ιογενιανὸς δὲ τῶν χρησμολόγων θεῶν διελέγχει τὸ ψεῦ δος· λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Ὅτι δὲ ἀποτυγχάνεται τὰ πολλὰ τοῖς καλουμένοις μάντεσιν, ὁ πᾶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίος μάρτυς ἂν εἴη, καὶ οὗτοί γε αὐτοὶ οἱ τὴν μαντικὴν ἐπαγγελλόμενοι τέχνην." Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· "Νῦν δὲ τοσοῦτον τοῖς εἰρημένοις προσθήσω, 10. ὅτι μάλιστα μὲν τὸ ἀληθεύειν ποτὲ τοὺς καλουμένους μάντεις ἐν ταῖς προαγορεύσεσιν οὐκ ἐπιστήμης, ἀλλὰ τυχικῆς αἰτίας ἔργον ἂν εἴη. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ μηδέποτε τοῦ προκειμένου τυγχάνειν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ πάντοτε μηδ' ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον μηδ' ὡς ἐξ ἐπιστήμης, ὅταν τις καί ποτε τυγχάνῃ, τύχης ἔργον καλεῖν προειλήφαμεν οἱ διειληφότες τὰς ὑφ' ἕκαστον ὄνομα τεταγμένας ἐναργεῖς ἐννοίας ἑαυτῶν." 10.21 Ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἀναγκαζομένους ὑπ' ἀνθρώπων καὶ τοὺς χρησμο λόγους θεοὺς προλέγειν φησὶν ὁ Πορφύριος, ἃ προλέγουσιν, εὐπετὲς τῷ βουλομένῳ μαθεῖν ἐξ ἐκείνου αὐτοῦ τοῦ ξυγγράμμα τος, ὃ Περὶ τῆς ἐκ λογίων φιλοσοφίας ἐπέγραψε· καὶ αὐτὰς γὰρ 10.22 ἐκεῖνος παρέθηκε τῶν θεῶν τὰς φωνάς. Λέγει γὰρ τὴν Ἑκάτην παρ' αὐτοῦ κληθεῖσαν εἰπεῖν· ἤλυθον εἰσαΐουσα τεῆς πολυφράδμονος εὐχῆς, ἣν θνητῶν φύσις εὗρε θεῶν ὑποθημοσύνῃσιν Καὶ πάλιν αἰτιωμένη τὸν κεκληκότα· τίνος, φησί, χατίζων, θειοδάμοις Ἑκάτην με θεὴν ἐκάλεσσας ἀνάγκαις; Καὶ ὁ Ἀπόλλων δὲ βοᾷ· κλῦθί μευ οὐκ ἐθέλοντος, ἐπεί μ' ἐπέδησας ἀνάγκῃ. Καὶ πάλιν· λύετε λοιπὸν ἄνακτα· βροτὸς θεὸν οὐκέτι χωρεῖ. 10.23 ∆ιὰ δὲ τούτων δεδήλωκεν ὁ Πορφύριος, καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ οὗτοι οἱ τὸ θεῖον ὄνομα κεκλοφότες, ὡς δυνατώτεραι αὐτῶν αἱ τῶν ἀν θρώπων ἐπίνοιαι καὶ αἱ μεμηχανημέναι ἀνάγκαι. Καὶ γὰρ ἄνωθεν αὐτοὺς καθέλκουσι καὶ κάτω δεσμοῦσι· καὶ ἀναχωρεῖν οὐκ ἰσχύουσι, πρὶν ἂν οἱ ἄνθρωποι λύσωσιν. Καὶ ἄλλα δὲ μυρία τοιαῦτα ἔστιν εὑρεῖν παρὰ τῷδε τῷ ξυγγραφεῖ τὴν ἀσθένειαν αὐτῶν διελέγχοντα. 10.24 Ὅσης δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ λώβης μεστὰ τὰ μαντεύματα, τούτοις ἄν τις ἐντυχὼν καταμάθοι ῥᾳδίως. Λιμοῦ γάρ ποτε Ἀθηναίοις ἐνσκήψαντος, ἔχρησεν ὁ Πύθιος μὴ πρότερον τοῦτον παύσασθαι, πρὶν ἂν ἑπτὰ παρθένους Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ τοσούτους ἠϊθέους σφά 10.25 ξωσι τῷ Μίνωϊ. Καὶ τῶν χρησμῶν δὲ τὸ λοξὸν πολλοῖς ὀλέθρους προὐξένησεν. Καὶ γὰρ Ἀριστόμαχος, οὐ νενοηκὼς τὴν "στε νύγρην," τὸν μὲν πορθμὸν καὶ τὰς τριήρεις κατέλιπε, διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἰσθμοῦ προσβαλὼν τὸν βίον κατέλυσεν. Ἔδει δὲ τὸν χρησμο λόγον μὴ ζόφῳ τὸν χρησμὸν ξυγκαλύψαι, εἴπερ ἄρα τὸ ἐσόμε νον ᾔδει· ἀλλὰ κακούργως ἀμφίβολον τὴν πρόρρησιν δέδωκεν, 10.26 ἵνα μὴ τὸ ψεῦδος εὐφώρατον γένηται. Ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τῷ Κροίσῳ προὐξένησε τὴν ξυμφοράν· Κροῖσος, γὰρ ἔφη , Ἅλυν διαβὰς μεγάλην ἀρχὴν καταλύσει. Ποτέραν δέ, οὐ δεδήλωκεν, ἤτοι τὴν οἰκείαν ἢ τὴν τῶν πολε μίων, ἵνα καὶ ἡττηθεὶς καὶ νικήσας μὴ κατηγορήσῃ τοῦ μάντεως. Καὶ ταῦτα ὁ Πύθιος δέδρακε πολυτάλαντα παρ' ἐκείνου δεξάμε νος δῶρα. ∆υοῖν τοίνυν θάτερον, ἢ ἀλαζών ἐστιν ἢ ἀχάριστος· ἢ γὰρ ἃ μὴ οἶδεν εἰδέναι βρενθύεται, ἢ ἐπιστάμενος ἑκών γε 10.27 ἀδικεῖ τοὺς θεραπεύειν ἐσπουδακότας. [Παραπλήσιον δέ τι δέ δρακε καὶ ἐπὶ Ἰουλιανοῦ τὴν ὁρμὴν ἔχοντος κατὰ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων· "Νῦν" γὰρ ἔφη "πάντες ὡρμήθημεν θεοὶ παρὰ Θηρὶ ποταμῷ νίκης τρόπαια κομίσασθαι; τούτων ἐγὼ ἡγεμονεύσω, θοῦρος 10.28 πολεμόκλονος Ἄρης."] Προσόμοιον δέ τι καὶ ἐπὶ Ἀθηναίων πεποίηκεν. Τοῦ γὰρ δὴ Ξέρξου μετὰ πολλῶν μυριάδων ἐπιστρα τεύσαντος, ἔδραμον μὲν παρ' αὐτὸν τῶν Ἀθηναίων οἱ θεωροί· ὁ δὲ τῶν χρησμῶν